AN: And finally getting the ninth chapter on here. Really sorry. I get so busy with other stuff. This chapter is a little longer than usual. We get to meet Loki's kids next chapter. Btw, in this story Jormangandr is female though usually i think he's supposed to be a guy. I hope you guys like it and I will try to start on the next chapter soon. I named this chapter after the song by P!nk ft. Nate Ruess.

I don't own anything. This stuff is Marvel's and Square Enix.

Just give me a reason
Just a little bit's enough
Just a second we're not broken just bent
And we can learn to love again
~P!nk ft. Nate Ruess

"Daaaang, Lara. I knew you were rich, but…" Tony let out a long whistle. He was currently focused on Lara's extravagant home. The Avengers had recently arrived, and they were joining Tony by all gazing in awe at her manor. Loki and Thor were the only two who seemed unimpressed.

"You call this a mansion?" Loki smirked. "Back home this is similar to what the peasants live in."

Lara rolled her eyes, but chuckled any way.

Clint scowled. "Well, Asgard isn't your home, now is it, Jotun?"

Loki whipped his head around to glare at him. He began to move towards Clint, but Lara stepped in front of him. Fury took charge.

"Loki, back off. Clint," Fury stared hard at Clint who bowed his head in submission.

"Sorry, sir." Clint responded. "But you don't really expect me to play nice with him, do you?"

Fury grabbed Clint's shoulder and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear. Clint nodded with unhappy expression, but remained silent.

Lara touched Loki's arm gently and tugged him towards her home. "Come on. I'll make sure your rooms are far apart."

Loki nodded his head, trying to control the rage boiling inside. "Thank you." Loki and Lara walked side by side, their shoulders grazing. "Do I have permission to hold your hand?"

"Permission?" Lara gave him a sideways glance. "That's a strange way to word it."

"So you don't care what they think of you? Of us?" Loki gestured with his head towards the Avengers behind them. "You may lose their respect if they knew of our 'relationship', if one can call it that."

Loki has a point, Lara thought. She looked over her shoulder at her friends. She knew Tony didn't care and assumed Thor would have nothing against it, but she was unsure of the others. Most of them still considered Loki the enemy. But who I have relationships with is none of their business really, and if they were true friends, they would support me, no matter the person… What would my parents think? She stuffed the question into the back of her mind to meditate on later. She brushed her hand against Loki's and whispered, "Yes."

Loki responded momentarily by lacing his long, pale fingers through her own. Tony's eyes widened slightly at the couple's action. He swiveled his head around quickly to see if any of the other Avengers had caught the interaction. He decided to keep it that way by causing a distraction. He thought quickly and noticed Black Widow in her tight black jeans. I'm going to regret this, he thought as he moved closer to her and gave her butt a quick slap. Before he knew it, he was being wacked in the face by Natasha's foot. He groaned on the ground.

"What the heck, Tony?" Clint exclaimed, completely taken by surprise.

Natasha drew her gun and pointed it at Tony. He threw his hands up. "Hey, hey, hey!"

"Don't. Touch. Me. Again." Natasha warned. Tony agreed urgently and she took a step back from him, allowing him to get on his feet. Clint came from behind and slapped him on the back of the head. Tony grabbed both of the injured places and let out a 'ow'. They passed him and Bruce approached with a confused expression.

"Um, was there a legitimate reason for that?" Bruce asked.

Tony growled. "Define legitimate."

Unfortunately, Tony's distraction wasn't enough to pull Steve's attention away from Lara and Loki's hands.

xOxOx

Lara smiled brightly as she entered the main hall of her estate. She hadn't seen it since it had been repaired. It was rebuilt so well that one could never guess there had been an explosion here. Lara froze as her eyes caught sight of her parent's portrait hanging above the fireplace. It had been destroyed in the fire and was beyond repair.

Loki noted Lara's facial expression. He stepped close to her, "What's wrong?"

Lara opened her mouth to respond, but then she saw Winston enter and cross the room to see her. She ripped her hand out of Loki's hold and backed away from him. She beamed at Winston and met him halfway.

"It's good to have you back, Ms. Croft." Winston and Lara hugged.

"It's good to be back." Lara's smile waned as she looked back up at the picture. "I thought the fire had abolished it."

"Oh, it had." Winston confirmed. He continued after seeing Lara's puzzled face. "I hired an artist to repaint it. He used an old photograph of the portrait as reference. I know how much it means to you."

"Thank you." Lara spoke genuinely.

"Of course, Ms. Croft." Winston glanced behind Lara. "Shouldn't you introduce me to your friend?"

Lara turned around to Loki who was standing there patiently with his hands behind his back. "Oh, right. I'm sorry. Winston, this is Loki, the…"

"Destroyer of Manhattan?" Winston finished her sentence as he cautiously shook Loki's hand.

"Well, I was going to say 'god of mischief', but that's true too."

"I apologize for my past actions." Loki surprisingly seemed genuinely honest. "I hope by joining the Avengers I may be able to 'turn over a new leaf' as you mortals say." Now she definitely knew Loki was lying.

"And, Loki, this is Winston, a family friend."

Loki nodded and smiled politely at Winston. "A pleasure."

Winston faced Lara. "Should I help the others with their bags?"

"I think a group of 'superheroes' can manage to carry their own bags, Winston. But if you must busy yourself, I could use a cup of tea." Lara requested.

"Of course, Ms. Croft." Winston exited through the kitchen door.

Loki stepped farther into her home, glancing around. Lara watched him and crossed her arms. "'Turn over a new leaf'?" She repeated his words with a chuckle.

He grinned. "What? I didn't what the old man to shake in his boots and run away screaming."

"I thought that's how you wanted mortals to react to your presence?"

He laughed airily. "Not all of them. Not you. And I can tell you care for him deeply."

"He's the last little bit of family I have left. I have a few aunts and uncles, but they've always been more interested in my money than myself."

"I see. Is he a father figure to you?"

"Perhaps a little." Lara fidgeted.

Loki could tell the current discussion was making her uncomfortable and decided to drop it. Talking about my 'father' is disconcerting for me as well, Loki thought bitterly. Examining the building, he strolled through the main hall. "Your home is beautiful."

"I thought it was too 'measly' for you." Lara remarked.

"It's impressive for a Midgardian home. I remember when your people used to live in huts." Loki recalled while gazing up at the stained glass window above the staircase.

"Did you used to visit Midgard often?"

"A few times with Thor." Loki hung his head as it filled with memories. "Killing Frost Giants." He shook his head and changed the subject before she could continue. "You look a lot like your mother."

Taken aback, Lara's mouth dropped open. She hadn't expected Loki to say anything like that. She reminisced Father telling her that years ago. It was nice to hear again.

Loki approached her slowly and gently held her face in his hands. He leaned into kiss her. Loki and Lara jumped at the sound of the entry door slamming open. Loki dropped his hands and backed away swiftly, causing him to bump into a small table. The small table trembled from the impact and the vase on top of it swiveled dangerously before toppling over the edge. Loki managed to catch it before it shattered into pieces on the floor. The Avengers each cocked an eyebrow at Loki's strange position.

"Uh…" Loki searched for an explanation. He straightened his back and looked down intently at the vase, pretending to be very interested in it and not in Lara's plump lips as he had been previously. "This vase is exquisite."

Lara rolled with it. "Isn't it? I acquired it from Japan." Loki carefully set the base back in its place. Lara changed her focus to the group that just entered. "What took you so long out there?"

Tony shrugged and waltzed in casually. "Oh, y'know, exploring."

"We only stayed with him to make sure he didn't cause any problems." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm not a kid, guys." Tony clarified.

Clint scoffed. "Really? It sure didn't seem that way when Steve carried you over your shoulder."

"That was a sight to behold." D.G. smirked as she lightly touched Steve's bicep. Steve blushed and shuffled away from her.

Tony growled and moved away from them. He paused in the main hall. He pointed to the end of the room. "Is that a tech room?"

"Yes. You can use it, if you like." Lara offered.

Tony jumped in the air and squealed like a little kid. He ran into the tech room and started playing with the gadgets. The Avengers could all think of comments, but shrugged them off.

xOxOx

After showing each of the Avengers where they would be residing, Lara went to her room to change. She removed her present clothing and slipped into a more comfortable outfit. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a loud, thudding noise sounded from the main part of her room. She flipped the safety off on her pistol and exited her closet. She relaxed at the sight of D.G. She tensed again when she saw what D.G. must have placed on the table.

"How did you find that?"

D.G. smirked at Lara's bewildered expression. "Well, it wasn't easy."

Lara narrowed her eyes. "Why are you giving it to me?"

"It obviously won't work for me. Only you can control it now."

"Why wait so long?"

"I just recently found it. I went back to the 'scene of the crime', happened to come upon it, and thought that you might want it."

"The delivery system's a little slow." Lara approached the wooden coffee table.

"Sorry, I became sidetracked." D.G. waved her hand, as if brushing the fact away. "But it's here now and at the time you need it most."

Lara fingered the black handle causing her gauntlet to spark with electricity. D.G. watched her and tilted her head.

"Why do you hesitate?" D.G. asked, astounded. "It is your weapon, you've earned it."

"Having this much power is not always a good thing." Lara dropped her hand and turned her back on the hammer. "You should have left it where it was, buried underneath the remnants of Helheim."

D.G. huffed angrily. "Why the sudden change of heart? I didn't see a problem as you swung it around a few months ago. You seemed even to enjoy it."

"Exactly."

"Ugh, fine. You could at least thank me."

Lara looked at D.G. over her shoulder. "Thank you. Now, please leave."

D.G. did as she was told and slammed the door behind her. She jolted in surprise to see Steve standing in the hall outside of Lara's room. Steve felt embarrassed for being caught loitering near Lara's room.

"Uh, is Lara in there?" He pointed at her bedroom.

D.G. nodded, feeling a twinge of jealousy. "But she doesn't want to talk right now."

"Oh." Steve deflated a little.

"But maybe I can help." She slide closer to him. "I am her copy after all."

Steve squirmed. "It's really more of a personal matter. Thank you though."

Seeing she had no effect on him, D.G. sighed. She started down the hall. "I wouldn't get attached. She obviously has her eyes on someone else."

Steve spun around to ask her to explain her comment, but the hallway was empty.

xOxOx

Lara slowly lifted the hammer from the table. She positioned it so she could hold it with both hands. D.G. was probably right and she would require it again, but for now, she placed it in her secret hiding hole in the wall.

xOxOx

Lara entered her main hall, expecting it to be bustling with activity. She was surprised to find it empty. She glanced at her expensive grandfather clock to check the time. It read eleven o'clock. From across the room, she could hear the soft sound of keys being hit on a keyboard and the sound of murmuring voices.

She approached the glass doors and they slide open upon her presence. Lara entered the room that had once been designed for Zip, an old friend who left her service a while ago. She realized how long it's been since she had spoken with him and pondered the question at the back her mind whether or not she should call him.

She found Tony working on two computers at once with Fury looking over his shoulder. Fury glimpsed up at the sound of her arrival though Tony's eyes remained glue to the screens.

"It's a nice set up, Lara." Tony admitted. "But you're missing touch screens."

Lara rolled her eyes and ignored the comment. "Where are all the others?"

"Many of them retired for bed. It's been a long day." Fury nodded to a door left of the main staircase. "I saw Loki go through that door. Hope you don't mind the evil god of mischief parading through your house."

"Actually that door leads outside, but I should probably stop him from laying any traps for unsuspecting passers-by." Lara bid them good night and followed Loki's footsteps.

xOxOx

Wrapping her blue sweater around her shoulders for warmth, Lara stepped out in to the cool air of the night. The sky, unlike last time she was in England, was clear of clouds allowing the stars to shine down from the heavens onto the inhabitants below. This night instantly reminded her of the evening she spent with Loki on top of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base. No wonder Loki came out here, she thought remembering his interest in stars.

Lara's chocolate eyes spotted Loki near the locked gate of the hedge maze. Even from this distance, Lara could tell he was fumbling with the lock. She strolled over to him silently.

"Leave your lock picking set at home?" Lara teased when she saw the frustration written on Loki's face.

"Actually, no, I didn't." He held up two small, thin pieces of metal and then went back to work.

Lara chuckled when she realized his problem. "Those work better on newer locks. The lock on this gate has been here since before I was born."

Loki growled as the thinner piece of metal snapped in half. He took the two pieces and melded them together with magic.

"Couldn't you use magic to unlock it?"

"If I did, it would only break the lock. And I'm going to assume you wish me not to do that. I suppose I'll just have to find the key then."

Lara smirked and crossed her arms. "Good luck with that." She noticed he was now wearing a green ¾ sleeve shirt and dark jeans instead of his armor.

Loki stuffed his lock picks into his back pocket. His eyes searched the grounds fervently before he started pushing bushes aside.

"You really think the key is hidden under a bush?" Lara gave him a ridiculous look. "You could just ask me for it, you know. Why do you want to get in so badly anyway?"

Loki paused for a moment before answering. "It's a maze, is it not? There was one back home. In Asgard. It was a great hiding place from Thor."

"You really miss it, don't you?"

"Not really. I miss my life from before. It wasn't perfect, but I was certainly happier back then than I am now. Sure, Thor annoyed me, but… he was my brother. It's kind of expected." Loki looked up at a jingling noise and saw a key dangling from Lara's fingertips. He took a step towards her quickly and swiped at the key. Lara expected this and took a step back.

"Now, now. Play nice."

"I have a feeling a simple 'please' isn't going to work here." Loki commented. Lara smiled in affirmation. He crossed his arms and cocked his head. "Name your price."

Lara pursed her lips and tapped her chin with her finger in a thoughtful manner. "Hmm… Two questions. And you can't change the subject."

"One." Loki bartered. "It's only a key after all."

"That leads to a wonderful place."

Loki sighed and ran his fingers through his raven black hair. "All right, deal. I'll even let one of them be personal and I'll agree to provide an answer to both."

"What?"

"You didn't specify what kind of questions and you didn't say I had to answer. I expected more from you, Lara, I mean, really."

"Oh, piss off." Lara tossed him the key and he caught it deftly.

"Thank you." Smiling in complete satisfaction, Loki unlocked the gate. "Go ahead and ask your first question, non-personal."

"Why are you such a jerk?"

Loki burst out laughing. "I'm the god of mischief, love." He reached out to touch her cheek, but she shoved his hand away causing him to chuckle again. "Before you ask your personal question, I want to hear about your attachment with this place."

"Why should I and why do you assume I have an attachment?"

"I shared my story about mazes and I can read emotions fairly well. I can tell you care about this place." Loki justified.

Letting the moonlight guide their path, they strolled side by side. Lara thought for a moment, feeling a soft breeze ruffle her hair. She recalled longtime events as they came to the first crossroad.

"I used to play here with my grandfather when I was a little girl. We'd split up and see who could get to the middle first. My grandfather kept a bag of presents there and he'd let me have one if I won. It wasn't until later I discovered that he had a map and that's how he managed to beat me so often." Lara gazed down at their feet as they walked through the twists and turns. "My father had it built for my mother."

"What were their names?" Loki asked softly.

"Richard and Amelia Croft." Lara replied. "Can I offer you some advice?"

"Yes?" Loki questioned curiously.

"If you get a chance, make up with your parents. Or your fake parents, however you refer to them. But they still loved you and raised you. They took you in when no one else wanted you. And perhaps Odin never wanted you, but from what I've heard of your mother, she wanted you very much. She loves you despite the blood running through your veins. You should make up with them because you never know when they will be taken away from you. And then you really will be completely alone."

"Well said." He murmured. "I suppose you still have that question?"

"Why does it bother you? Being a Jotun? Both of your parents knew of your blood and yet they still loved you. I suppose Thor didn't, but he does now and still he considers you his brother."

Loki sighed and shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"You agreed to answer my question." Lara glared at him pointedly.

"Fine." He replied tersely. "Imagine your parents, the people you loved most and who you thought loved you in return, lying to you your entire life. And about something so substantial. I found out that I'm the monster hiding under children's beds."

"You don't look like much of a monster to me."

"It's a spell. To hide my true form."

"May I see?" Lara caressed his pale cheek.

They stopped walking and Loki raised his hand to touch hers. "It's best if you don't."

Lara chuckled. "Why? I'm certain I've seen worse than a short Jotun. Do you think I'm going to scream and run in the other direction?"

"Maybe scream for the men and ask them to come with torches and pitchforks?"

"Now, you know if there was a monster that needed killing I'd do it myself."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

She laughed. "Come on, please."

"Why do you want to see it so badly?"

"I care for you, Loki. I don't want you to feel it necessary to hide from me." She met her lips with his in a gentle kiss. She had hoped to reassure him. Lara pulled back and opened her eyes. She held in a gasp when her brown eyes clashed with deep red eyes. Loki took a step back to allow her to take in the full effect. His skin no longer white was now an obvious shade of blue. Intricate markings covered his blue skin.

"Is you curiosity sated?" Loki spat. "Or need I show you more?" He held at his hand and created a small ice dagger. He threw it into the hedge wall in anger. "I hate looking like this!"

Lara touched his shoulder comfortingly. "It doesn't bother me. And there's no reason it should bother you."

He sheepishly looked at her. "I'm sorry for acting out. It's very difficult for me to control my emotions in this state. I'm so used to hiding."

She leaned into him and used her other hand to grip his. "I know. So stop." There was a long pause and they listened to each other's breathing. "A Jotun may be what you are. But it doesn't have to be who you are. You act like you've been given the part of a villain and have no choice to follow it, but that's not true. No one can give you 'your part'. You make your own. I learned that a long time ago. When my mother was alive, I know she wanted me to grow up to be a lady, a woman with perfect table manners and a perfect hostess. As I child, I knew that would never happen. And after she had gone, I thought I would follow in my father's footsteps and become an archaeologist. I almost did. Then I made my own 'part'. A survivor. People are going to give you 'parts' all your life, but that doesn't mean you have to follow them. Ask yourself who you want to be, or who you need to be, and follow that path."

Loki remained silent a few moments. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lara released his hand and she rubbed both of her hands together, trying to create warmth in them again. "Should we continue or go back to the house?"

"Let's go back." Loki let his Jotun form slip off and slowly returned to his Asgardian form.

xOxOx

They climbed the main staircase and halted beneath the stained glass window. The moonlight shone through the window causing the multi-colors to dance on the floor below them. Loki took Lara's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a simple kiss on it.

"Good night, Lara." He turned and started up the right staircase towards his room.

"Thank you." Lara stopped him. "For showing me your… other form. And, if you wish, my bedroom door is unlocked."

Loki faced with her with both of his eyebrows raised. He smiled once the surprised feeling left him. "While I'm grateful for the offer, but… it may be best if we don't rush things."

"Oh, a gentleman, are we?"

"Well, I am a prince." Loki grinned. "But I have an 'errand' I need to take care of. Is your door always unlocked?"

"Hmm, you know, I probably shouldn't leave it unlock. I have plenty of enemies that would be happy to come after me. I'd better lock it. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways."

"I fear a lock won't be enough to keep me out. Despite what happened at the gate." Loki added. "Good night."

As Lara advanced up the left side staircase, she wondered what 'errand' Loki was handling.

xOxOx

Loki knocked on the heavy, wooden door. He figured he was probably wakening the inhabitant, but he figured the information he had was important enough to pique the man's interest. He heard movement from behind the door that consisted of grumbles and curses as the man bumped into things in his sleepy state. The door burst open causing Loki to jolt a little, but he quickly recovered. The man did not look happy to see him.

"You're the last person I'd suspect to see standing here." Fury stated. "Any reason you're interrupting my sleep?"

"Wow, someone's grumpy. Though you're always grumpy."

Fury deadpanned. "I'm closing the door."

"Oh alright. You're no fun." Loki caught the door before Fury was able to swing it completely shut. "I need to speak to you."

Fury was about to question if whether or not Loki's discussion was important enough that it had to be done in the middle of the night, but then saw the expression on Loki's visage. He opened the door back up, allowing the god entrance to his room.

"So what's this about?" Fury shut the door and turned to Loki.

"We need a plan. And I have concocted one."

Fury chuckled. "And we're supposed to trust you?"

"Does anyone else have a plan?" Fury remained silent. "Exactly. Perhaps at least listen to my idea?"

Fury sat down on the edge of his bed, hoping he wasn't going to regret this.

xOxOx

next morning

Lara rose early and dressed simply. As she moved about her bedroom, her eyes often strayed to the wall where Mjolnir was secretly hidden. She exited her bedroom and traveled to the main hall. She was surprised to find all the Avengers hanging out in the tech room. They were standing and talking amongst themselves excluding Tony who slept face-first on one of the many keyboards.

"No one informed there was a meeting." Lara commented as she entered.

Fury stepped forward. "It wasn't really planned."

"Now that we're all here, mind telling us what our next step is?" Clint asked with crossed arms.

Fury nodded and slapped Tony on the back. Tony jerked up, mumbling a few nonsense words before fully becoming awake. He glared at Fury as he passed by.

"Last night, Loki came to me and we constructed a plan together." Fury began before Clint interrupted him.

"What!" Barton was mortified and the others seemed as surprised as he was. "Director, how could-…"

"I didn't see you coming up with any ideas, Agent Barton." Fury barked causing Clint to shut his mouth and fume silently. Loki hid his smirk, feeling pleased.

"Now, before I continue, did anyone else have anything to say/complain about?" The Avengers said nothing. "I didn't think so. Now, the plan. Loki, would you mind?"

Slightly shocked, Loki straightened. "Are you certain?"

"Go ahead. You came up with it. And you won't have any problems." Fury stared pointedly at Barton.

Loki nodded. "As you wish." He paced around the room. "First, we need to know Thanos' plan of attack. I think I know what his strategy is."

"You think?" Barton asked doubtfully.

"Bar-…" Fury started, but Loki stopped him.

"I can handle this, Fury. Barton, I'm on your side just as much as everyone else is. Thanos wants me dead. I am no longer useful to him and plus I even failed him. He's not only after Midgard, but me as well."

"Then why don't we give you to him?"

"You could, but that would not quench his thirst for power. But trust me when I have no intention to ever help him again. I've 'learned my lesson'. May I continue?" Loki tilted his head mockingly.

"…What's his angle?"

"Well, last time he sent a god and an army to defeat you. But he didn't calculate Thor being there. I believe this time we'll be dealing with much worse."

"Worse?" Black Widow asked for clarification.

"More gods and another army. According to Lara, a god created those doppelgangers and sent them after us. There's one. And I'm fairly certain he's drafted another…" Loki's face turned grave.

Lara suddenly had a bad feeling and was worried about Loki's answer to her question: "Who?"

"Hel. Ruler of Niflheim. Commander of the army of dead. Reborn as my child." Loki answered.

"It would be your child." Tony remarked.

Loki chuckled. "I won't deny that. If he has managed to recruit Hel, which I wouldn't be surprised, she would bring an army of dead along with her."

"That doesn't sound good." Bruce removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"What do we do?" Lara asked.

"I fear Thanos will try to convince other gods to join his side. That's why we need to reach them first. I believe he will target my other two children. A few of us will search for my children and persuade them to join us or at least to not coincide with Thanos."

" 'Few of us'?" Steve repeated.

"Thanos is also after the Tesseract in Asgard. I think it would be wise to send several Avengers to protect it from his clutches." Loki explained.

"Oh great. So some of us get to go on adventure and meet possibly attractive gods while the rest of us get to stand watch?" Tony frowned and leaned back in his chair.

"There are plenty of attractive goddesses in Asgard, Tony." Loki rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah." Tony considered the possibilities. "Aren't your other two kids' dudes, anyway?"

"One of them. I have another daughter."

Tony thought for a moment. "Hmmm… what does she look like?"

"Not a chance in your life, Stark." Loki growled causing Tony to chuckle.

"How do we decide who gets guard duty?" Steve looked to Fury.

"Loki thought it best if we sent the three gods after his children-…" Fury started before Lara interrupted him.

"'Three gods'?" Lara confusedly asked.

Loki's eye widened and his head whipped around to glare at Fury. Fury shrugged and replied, "She deserves to know, Loki."

"What are you two talking about?" Lara demanded, feeling worry creep into her mind.

"Lara…" Loki looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Loki believes-…" Fury was interrupted yet again.

"No, not here. We agreed I'd tell her." Loki bared his teeth at Fury.

Lara approached Loki and grabbed him roughly by the shoulder to make him face her. "Tell me what, Loki?"

Loki remained silent for a few moments. His eyes glanced to each Avenger before pushing Lara out of the tech room. They stood by the fireplace which was currently extinguished.

Loki stood before her, contemplating on how to start this difficult conversation. Lara stared at him impatiently. He cleared his throat to initiate his statement.

"Lara, I…" Loki sighed and ran a hand through his tousled black hair. "I'm sorry. But I think you're a demigod."

Lara scrunched her nose. "Think?"

"More like fairly certain. Ninety-nine percent sure." Loki revised nervously.

"Wh-what does this mean?"

"It means… Lara, you know about demigods. How they're created. Half-human and half-god."

"So you're saying one of my parents was a god?" Lara asked doubtfully.

"I'm saying… that one of the people that you thought was your parent, may not be. Gods usually find a perfect woman to plant their seed in." Loki explained.

Lara glared at Loki. She asked her next question in deadly voice. "Are you saying my mother cheated on my father?"

Loki swallowed hard. "Of course not, Lara. I don't know what happened. Sometimes gods even pick wealthy families to insure their child has a good upbringing. They will change their form to look like the husband and trick the wife. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it's a possibil-…"

Lara slapped Loki across the face during midsentence. He gingerly touched his burning cheek and looked at Lara.

"How dare you?" Lara hissed. "You have no right to even wonder about this. You always have to know about everything, don't you? And you always have to be right."

"Lara, I'm-…"

"Don't. How long have you thought this?"

Loki licked his lips, knowing she wasn't going to like his answer. "Since we first met."

"And you didn't bother mentioning it any of the times we were having private discussions? You had to wait to let the cat out of the bag in front of everyone?"

"I had no plan to tell you now, Lara."

"When were you going to tell me?" Loki remained silent, not having answer. "Hmm?" Lara cocked her head, glaring daggers at him.

"I hadn't really… set a time." Loki responded slowly.

"You had no right to withhold that kind of information from me."

"I wanted to tell you when I was absolutely sure."

Lara crossed her arms. "You could have at least brought it up. Warned me or something instead of this happening."

"I know, Lara. And I'm sorry. And I didn't tell you because… I didn't want it to be true. You deserve to remember your parents as… well, your parents. Not liars, or fake. I didn't want you to go through the same pain as I did. Can you forgive me?" Loki searched her face for forgiveness.

Lara sighed and massaged her temple. "I don't know, Loki. This is a lot… I need to think." She turned and went climbed up the stairs towards her bedroom without another word.

Loki formed his hands into fist, feeling anger at himself. At himself for causing her pain emotionally. He tensed when he felt someone grip his shoulder. He turned his head to see Thor standing there, pity in his eyes. Usually, Loki detested when people looked at him like that. But this time he was too upset to care.

"I believe she will come around, Loki." Thor did his best to comfort him, though his words meant little to Loki.

Loki hummed softly in response. He left through a door across the room that led to the library.

xOxOx

late at night

Loki left the library once darkness fell. He entered the main hall and checked the large clock. It was around midnight. No one had bothered him the rest of the day which he was thankful for. He went through a door that he believed led to the kitchen. Instead he found some sort of an entertainment room. The room was constructed to look like an old bar. It had a counter with shelves of liquor behind it. Several bar stools were around the counter and there was a large flat screen television on the other side of the room.

He went straight for the liquor cabinet, grabbing a glass. Not knowing much about Midgardian alcohol, he picked a bottle that contained a clear brownish liquid. It read whiskey on the label and Loki recalled that that type was a strong drink. He twisted the cap off and began to pour it into the glass. Pausing, he shrugged and took a large swig straight from the bottle. He knew it wouldn't get him drunk, but he was hopeful.

Hearing the door open, Loki turned to see who was entering. He wasn't very surprised to see Tony step into the room. Though Tony did seem to be shocked to see him here.

"Loki? What are you doing here?" Tony asked.

Feeling the liquid burn his throat as it went down, Loki took another drink. "Drinking."

Tony's eyes widened as he watched Loki swallow a big gulp. "I see that. You don't really strike me as that kind of guy… god. Does it even affect you?"

"Asgardian mead does. But this probably won't."

Tony took a seat at the bar. "Mind if I have a glass?" He pointed at the bottle that he wanted. Loki was about to fill the glass he had gotten out previously but Tony stopped him.

"Whoa! Not in a beer glass." Tony chuckled. "Humans prefer shot glasses for this kind of drink."

Loki looked under the counter and placed a little clear shot glass and poured the liquid in it. He snickered as he did so.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "What you laughing at?"

"That mortals drink from such little 'cups'." Loki smirked.

Tony rolled his eyes as he threw his head back to drink the shot. "Ahh!" He shook his head.

One side of Loki's lips tipped upwards as he took another drink from his bottle.

"Yeah, yeah. Good job for you. It doesn't bother you at all." Tony growled grudgingly. "Hit me."

Loki filled his glass again. It was quiet between them for a few moments.

"So you wanna play a drinking game?" Tony asked as he swallowed another shot down.

"A drinking game? Like what?" Loki raised an eyebrow, curious.

Tony got up and went over to the TV. "Let's see if she has it…" He began to go through Lara's collection of DVDs. Loki waltzed over with both bottles, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes! Here it is!" Tony showed Loki the cover of the movie. It read Zombieland and had four characters on it each holding various types of weapons.

Loki looked at it doubtfully. "Zombieland?"

"Hey, don't dis it till you try it." Tony defended. He removed the disc from its case and popped into the DVD tray. "The point of the game is to take a shot every time a zombie gets shot. It's pretty much whoever passes out first is who loses."

"Why play since we both know I'm going to win?"

"This may be the only game that will be enough to get you drunk. Come on, do it for fun."

Loki considered it for a moment, and then shrugged. "All right."

They both sat down on the couch in front of the large screen. Before long, Tony was completely drunk and Loki was even feeling a little bit of a buzz. Finally, Loki decided to cut Tony off.

"I think it'd be best if you stopped, Tony." Loki easily took the bottle from him.

"You know," Tony hiccupped. "You're not so bad. For an evil god."

Loki laughed, barely able to understand Tony's slurred words. He had had many chances for practice from Thor after days of battle. "You are going to deeply regret this in the morning, friend."

"Yeash, I know." Tony paused. " 'Friend'?"

Loki hadn't even realized he'd said it. He cleared his throat. "Well…"

Tony put an arm around Loki's shoulders. "Uh-uh. You already said it. No takes backsies. Friend. Buddy. Pal."

"You are very drunk."

"No kidding? Thanks for letting me know, bestie."

"No. Do not refer to me as that."

"Are we BFFs? I think we are!"

"Oh, gods. What have I done?"

It's in the stars
It's been written in the scars on our hearts
We're not broken just bent
And we can learn to love again

Please review to tell me if you liked it! Thank you for reading and i apologize if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes.